Hero #142: Karim Wasfi … (01/12/16)
Bomb explosions were, sadly, not an unusual occurrence in Baghdad. And yet after a car packed with explosives detonated in the busy Mansour district in 2015, killing 10 people and injuring 27, something very unusual happened. Karim Wasfi, the renowned conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, showed up just as soldiers and police were securing the area. He then took out his cello, sat down on a chair, and started to play. Images and video clips of the man some simply call “maestro” quickly went viral, not only on Iraqi social media, but further afield as well. Wasfi later spoke about his decision to play at that place and time, saying “It was an action to try and equalize things, to try and reach the equilibrium between ugliness, insanity, and grotesque acts of terror – to equalize it, even to overcome it, with acts of beauty, creativity, and grace … When things are normal, I will have more normal responsibilities and obligations. But when things are insane and abnormal like that, I have the obligation of inspiring people, of sharing hope, of perseverance, of dedication, and of simply preserving the momentum of life.”
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